Publications

This study addresses one of the greatest challenges of our time: the damage caused by HIV and AIDS to the well-being of children and families. With 38.6 million people affected by HIV in 2006, with HIV prevalence at antenatal clinics exceeding 40 per cent in areas of Botswana and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), with nationwide adult prevalence in excess of the critical threshold of 20 per cent in several countries, and with the prospect of a rapid spread of the disease in large swathes of India, China and the Russian Federation, the future of child well-being is seriously threatened. Certainly, in the 50 or so countries affected by the disease, the Millennium Development Goals in the field of child survival, education, poverty and basic rights will be missed, often by a large margin.

Le rapport étudie les options de protection des enfants dans les communautés touchées par la pandémie du SIDA. Partant du principe que le lien parent-enfant est la pierre angulaire du développement de l’enfant et que la famille est l’élément fondamental de la société, le rapport considère tout d’abord les moyens de garder aussi longtemps que possible les parents en vie et la famille unie. Il examine ensuite les solutions alternatives de protection au-delà de la famille la plus proche. Les arrangements vont de la prise en charge par la famille élargie, à travers différentes formes d’accueil dans la communauté, à l’adoption et au placement en établissement. Le rapport met en lumière les façons dont les acteurs extérieurs à la proche communauté peuvent soutenir et améliorer la capacité des ménages et des communautés à prendre soin des enfants livrés à eux-mêmes.

This IRC Insight highlights the urgent need to support families and communities to care for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The report looks at how the epidemic undermines children's health and schooling, and reinforces marginalization and deprivation. It explores the options for the care of children in communities affected by the AIDS epidemic. Beginning with the premise that the parent-child bond is the basic building block of child development and the family the basic unit of society, the report looks at ways to keep the family together for as long as possible. It then goes on to explore alternative care arrangements beyond the immediate family. Settings range from care by the extended family, to different forms of fostering in the community, through adoption and placement in residential institutions, which should be used as a last resort.

Investiga las posibilidades del cuidado de niños y niñas en comunidades afectadas por la pandemia del SIDA. Partiendo de la premisa de que el vínculo entre padre/madre e hijo/a es el componente más importante para el pleno desarrollo del niño y que la familia es la unidad básica de la sociedad, el informe estudia en primer lugar las posibilidades existentes para mantener a los padres vivos y a la familia junta el mayor tiempo posible. A continuación examina los cuidados alternativos más allá de la familia más próxima. Estos cuidados van desde los cuidados por la familia extensa o en diferentes formas de familias de acogida, hasta la adopción o ingreso en residencias. El informe hace hincapié en las maneras en que actores no pertenecientes a la comunidad más próxima pueden ayudar a sostener y mejorar la capacidad de los hogares y las comunidades en el cuidado de los niños y niñas que se quedan solos.

Il presente Insight vuole far progredire il dibattito sull’incidenza dell’HIV e dell’AIDS sui bambini in tre modi particolari: (i) focalizzando l’attenzione sulla situazione dei bambini resi orfani dall’AIDS e sui limiti delle attuali risposte per la realizzazione dei loro diritti; (ii) riesaminando le opzioni per l’accoglienza di tali bambini, evidenziando le esperienze efficaci e le lezioni apprese da approcci locali e familiari; (iii) identificando modi in cui gli attori locali, nazionali ed internazionali possano effettivamente rispondere alle proprie responsabilità di tutelare i diritti umani dei bambini, con particolare attenzione ai bambini resi orfani dall’AIDS.